READ ALL THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING!!! If
the adjustments are done
in the correct order, you will have a dish that tracks perfectly.
You should have an unwarped satellite dish, and a perfectly vertical
mounting pole, it will make things easier. It is suggested to
take a TV and the satellite receiver to the dish rather that
run back and forth to the house to see what is happening. This
site deals with prime focus (or center focus) satellite dishes,
meaning incoming signals are directed to a point.at the center
of the dish. It is impossible to cover every detail in a section
such as this, otherwise the page would never load!! Some details,
such as using UV resistant tie wraps to tidy your cabling is
common sense.
For an azel mount, i.e. not a polar tracking mount, proceed
directly to the azel mount setting
notes. NOTE: Azel mounts are used when you have no intention
of moving the dish to another satellite as in the case of a system
feeding video into a hotel or apartment complex or other similar
cable distribution system; if this is the case, then use an azel
mount as they are more stable than polar mounts.
(site map page top)
INSTALLATION AND TRACKING/TUNING:
1)Begin with assembly of
feedhorn and LNB and checking mounting of the feedhorn. In
a center focus (prime focus) system, all legs supporting the
feedhorn should be the same length, measure them to be sure,
and do any adjustment you can if they are not the same length.
Next, check the distance from three different points on the edge
of the dish, to the center of the feedhorn, to be sure feed is
set to be in the center of the dish. I like to use a focal finder
to determine if the feed is aimed at the center of the dish.
It is a plastic cup (dual cups, for standard C and Ku-band feed
scalar rings) that 
fits over the innermost scalar ring with a telescoping
pointer which, when extended, will
indicate exactly if the feed is directed to the center of the
dish. Remember, even if the feed 
legs
have the same length, that does not mean the feed is centered!
You might have to 'bend' the feed
into the center of the dish, or adjust the feed support legs
for the feed to be centered in the dish. In assembly of the feedhorn/LNB,
do not place sealant on feed gaskets - they are
meant to be installed dry; and the gasket thickness
should be such that there is metal-to-metal contact of the flange
contacts after bolt tightening. Do not overtighten
bolts, flanges will crack. Leave off the elbows, if you want,
and let the LNB(s) stick out to the side - you will gain three
dB if you do. If you are using an adjustable noise interference
ring (commonly called scalar rings) then set the F/D ratio in
accordance with manufacturer's instructions. (If you do not know
the F/D ratio, then calculate it using formula in diagram below.)
Do
not overtighten the screw/bolt that connects the scalar
ring to the feed throat as those pieces will also crack. During
the feed installation process, be sure do not touch
the probe inside the feedhorn nor the probe inside the LNB throat
as oil from your fingerprints could interfere with signal
reception; and definitely do not bend the probes as they are
finely adjusted and any impairment to their shape or position
will inhibit their performance.
(site map page top)
After feed is mounted, use a measuring tape to ensure focal
distance of the feedhorn is properly set; 
the measurement distance can be found in the instruction
manual of the dish. Measure from the absolute center of the dish
to the front of the polarotor and adjust the distance to as exactly
as possible to what the dish instructions say. A 1/8" either
way will greatly affect video reception performance on weaker
satellites. Imagine wearing eyeglasses and understand that a
dish focuses beam energy into the feed as do glasses focus light
into your eyes; your eyes and dish can only see as well as they
are focused. Dish to feedhorn misalignments of 0.5" reduces
collected C-Band signal power by 50% (-3dB)!! (see dB
discussion) For instance, the difference in signal gain between
a 10 foot 
dish and 7 foot dish is about 3dB; an improperly
aligned feedhorn wastes this gain differential. Without a doubt,
an incorrectly placed feedhorn compromises picture quality resulting
in detrimental video effects such as picture 'snow' or horizontal
lines. If you do not know the focal length, then calculate it.
At the end of all feedhorn adjustments and installation, once
again check to be sure feed is still centered within the dish.
If the face of the scalar is not parallel (equidistant) to the
dish face then you will have to carefully bend it into
place if the feed legs do not allow for appropriate adjustment
.When adjusting the feed, be sure
not to touch the probe inside 
the feedhorn as oil from your fingerprints
could interfere with signal reception; in fact, there is no need
to remove the plastic cap covering the feed throat probe except
to slide on the scalar rings and to measure the focal length,
then immediately replace the cap. Now
you may connect the coax cable and servo cables to the feed assembly.
When connecting any wiring to the dish or receiver, including
LNB coax cables, turn off power to the receiver; better
yet, unplug the receiver. NOTE: On F/D ratio, the antenna manufacturer's
focal length measurement is probably from a center plate (in
the middle of the dish) and is not the value used to calculate
the curvature of the dish as the center plate will sit atop the
center of the dish by some thickness of metal (most center plates
are on the order of 1/8" thick); you can use the recommended
focal length setting to set the feedhorn location but you can
not use it in calculations without adding the thickness of the
center plate.
(site map page top)
2)Install the actuator. Linear
actuators, sometimes called 'jacks', consist of a motor and gears
with
an arm that telescopes in and out of a fixed tube. The purpose
of the actuator is to provide stability to the dish while targeting
(stopping at) a specific satellite on command from the satellite
receiver. The actuator attaches between the polar mount and the
satellite antenna. Knowing the satellite arc at your location
will tell you what direction the dish needs to travel in order
to see the satellites - this will tell you whether the actuator
needs to be on the right side of the dish or the left. Attaching
the arm will mean having to set the clamp distance on the actuator
where it attaches to the mount. The only real way to set this
distance is to mount the clamp to the actuator and leave it somewhat
loose but not so loose that it slides in travel. Check that
no parts of the actuator rub on the mount during
travel - insert washers (spacers) where needed on the actuator
bolts to 'lift' the arm away from the mount to prevent any contact
with the mount other than the attachment points - this is important
as otherwise the natural movement of the actuator as it positions
the dish may put itself in a bind and over time this could bend
the actuator tube (which is why I do not recommend a one inch
tube actuator). There is no set rule on this other than observation
as each brand of dish is slightly different in how the actuator
attaches and each actuator manufacturer is slightly different
in its attachment design. The clamp to the mount will need to
be set to a point where it appears that the arm will travel to
a point just beneath the lowest look angle it needs to be. This
position will probably have to be reset during the tracking process
so do not be too fussy on this setting in the beginning. When
you feel reasonably sure the retracted position of the actuator
will lower the dish sufficiently to be just past the lowest satellite
of interest on the horizon then tighten the clamp at the mount
axis and program into the receiver the east and west limits of
travel.
To prevent overdrive at the top of the arc, set the actuator
limits (in the receiver) before performing any tuning. If you
happen to overdrive it at the top of the arc - to the short side
(and the dish flops), do not panic; just have someone lift the
dish by the lip while you drive it back using the receiver controls
and then be sure to check the setting of the limits better. For
dish diameter greater that 2.0m always use a 2.0 inch
diameter actuator tube (it will serve you much better over time
- a one inch tube just does not cut it); for actuator
stroke 24 inches and greater a ball actuator is recommended though
often more difficult to locate. Acme model actuators consist
of a threaded shaft which moves 
in a threaded collar and are usually rated for loads
up to 500 to 700 pounds in the 24 inch length model. A ball actuator
features ball bearings instead of a threaded collar and provides
smoother movement and is always rated for greater loads than
the same length acme actuator - up to 1500 pounds in some cases.
However, manufacturing advances in the internal gears and assembly
parts have given me confidence to use a 24 inch acme actuator
(on mesh dishes) whereas in the early years of the satellite
industry they were designs for failure. I would not consider
using an acme for actuator requirements over 24 inches in stroke
length. To repeat, a one inch tube for dishes over six feet in
diameter is a recipe for failure. Actuator manufacturers
whose products I like are Venture, Von Weise, and Thomson Saginaw.
For accurate Ku reception, be sure actuator has a 'high count' sensor, i.e. the more magnet wheels (see diagram in actuator wiring section) the motor has in its sensing 'section' the greater the counts will be per shaft revolution. When choosing an actuator, hold the extension tube in one hand and the body in the other and check for slop in the tube and if too much free movement then choose another brand because that is the amount of movement the dish will experience in wind. Also, some manufacturers ship actuators without middle swivel clamp so be sure to ask if it is included. The better quality actuators also have internal limit settings, called mechanical limits, that I never fool with, but I always buy the brands that build them that way so I recommend you do to as it gives me more confidence in the integrity of their product. The mechanical limits are to be set in case your receiver goes wacky and tries to overdrive the dish so that it would flop (see next paragraph) and the mechanical limits (in the motor housing) will stop the receiver from overdriving the actuator. The mechanical limit switch consists of a plastic cam that trips a microswitch that stops the motor; you set the cam to trip the switch just past the point where the receiver is programmed to stop the dish.
When the actuator is in the extended position, program that limit to be just past the last satellite of interest; by no means allow the actuator to be extended to the point where it looses its operating leverage thereby causing the dish to 'flop' over to the other side. If you accidentally flop your dish, commonly called 'dumping', then do not panic but simply have a companion lift the dish by its lip while you run the actuator back into its housing and then reset the high side limit - no harm will have been done except to your ego!! All dish controllers are designed to not work when pulses are not received from the actuator motor sensor, i.e. reed switch, and you will see a message saying 'actuator error' (or something similar). If this is the case, do not panic, the greatest probability is that you only need to reverse the pulse and sensor wires and you can do this at the back of the receiver. You must program the east/west limits before beginning tracking procedures otherwise the dish will only move for a few pulses then display the actuator error message. When you move the dish to the east or west; if the dish moves in the opposite direction of the direction intended, then simply reverse the two actuator control wires either at the dish or at the receiver. Remember, after tuning the dish and programming the end satellites, run the dish back and forth between end satellites to be sure actuator sensor counts properly, i.e. to make sure it stops in the same place each time.
For maintenance, be sure to install the actuator so that the
motor is setting in the direction dictated in manufacturer's
instructions for water drainage, i.e. rain protection. Over time,
if the actuator arm itself becomes slightly corroded with rust
then clean gently with fine steel wool and wipe down with a light
grease or oil. (For more maintenance ideas see Waterproofing.)
Your actuator should last at least five years and probably ten
years under normal operating conditions and in most cases will
require only normal tube maintenance and annual inspection of
wiring connections inside the motor housing for corrosion with
the worst problem being to replace the reed switch. However,
expect a one inch diameter tube actuator on dishes larger than
2.0m to fail much sooner.
(site map page top)
3)Set declination/elevation.
Move the dish to the highest point in its travel arc, i.e.
centering the 
dish at its zenith. Do this by using the actuator;
it can be done by visually looking at the dish. It is now time
to set your declination/elevation angles. I use a common carpenter's
inclinometer, with magnetic base, to set angles. I like it better
than the much more expensive digital inclinometer - especially
since I seem to drop it all the time, or forget and leave it
on the mount and it gets knocked off to the ground when I am
checking the sides or the arc, or forget and leave it on the
mount and it gets rained on!! First set the elevation angle,
it is measured on the polar axis (sometimes the elevation angle
is called the polar axis angle). By elevation, it means the angle
in degrees which the dish must be tilted up from the horizon
prior to addition of the declination angle. Use az/el
charts to get total elevation for your latitude location
then substract the declination value
for your latitude location and the remainder is the elevation
angle to set in this step. (NOTE: The true dish pointing angle
is the angle given by all az/el
calculation programs and is in fact the sum of the zenith elevation
angle (when the dish is at the top of the arc) plus the declination
offset angle therefore substract the declination offset angle
from the zenith az/el value to get the zenith elevation angle.
This is not very critical at this point because you will adjust
this angle for best reception later but be as accurate as possible.
Next, set the off-set angle on the polar mount, this is the declination. This is an adjustment
that tilts the dish 'forwards' at an angle depending on what
latitude you live. This adjustment is usually measured on one
of the mounts connected directly to the dish, i.e. in the plane
of the dish but on its back ring, it depends on your type mount.
(In practice, use az/el
charts to get total zenith elevation angle, i.e. from the
ground to the dish face, for your latitude location and this
will be the value to set in the declination adjustment.).
(site map page top)
4A)Set magnetic deviation.
Align the polar axis to the true north-south line for your
site (don't forget to adjust for magnetic
deviation
and to apply the deviation to the correct 'side' of the north
needle on the compass) and check that the satellite dish mount
cap is vertical on all sides after you tighten it. Tighten
the dish on the mount, then loosen it just enough so it will
turn. Sometimes, though, the weight of the front of the dish
will typically cause it to drop a little so that the mount cap
will not be plumb - this is especially true if the pole diameter
is in centimeters and the polar cap is in inches; when this happens,
I jam a screwdriver between the pole and cap until the cap is
plumb then tighten the cap bolts. NOTE: Sometimes the act of
tightening mount cap bolts will cause the dish/mount to rotate
slightly so after tightening mount cap bolts check that the dish
is still aligned to the true north-south line.
In case you haven't used a compass in a while, remember it's a circle, 360 degrees. Zero is North, East is 90, South is 180 and West is 270. Put the needle on North and pick something in the distance that is in line with North. Make sure the needle moves freely as you turn the compass around and that it is not too close to the dish or anything metal. It may help you to tie a string to the mount and walk out away from the dish. Line your compass with the string and have someone hold it, or tie it to something such as a rod in the ground. When you are behind the dish, this will give you a reference to work with.
Remember, the dish will look south if you are in the northern hemisphere and will look north if you are in the southern hemisphere and will look straight up if you are on the equator.
4B)Align azimuth for azel mount satellite.If
you are using an azel mount, i.e. not a polar tracking mount,
then you will align the azimuth setting to the true heading (not
the magnetic heading) of the satellite you are seeking and proceed
to azel elevation setting.
(site map page top)
5A)Program first satellites. Move
your television (or spectrum analyzer)
and satellite receiver to a table near the dish, if possible;
it will save time from running in the house to look at the image
then go outside to make dish adjustments. Begin with a satellite
that is located as close as possible to due 
south of your location
(if in the northern hemisphere and otherwise locate a satellite
due north if you are in the southern hemisphere), this is the
highest point of the arc and it is easiest to accurately adjust
the polar axis angle (elevation angle) from this position. (A
few degrees off will not make much difference because the dish
moves almost flat in the center of arc.) It is usually best to
look for a C-band satellite when you begin (if you are working
with a C/Ku system), they will be easier to find than a Ku satellite;
however, try a Ku satellite because the accuracy your system
will have will be much greater if you tune to Ku satellites although
Ku satellites are more difficult to find initially - if you have
a Ku system only, of course, look for the nearest Ku satellite
due south of your installation. (See Side
Lobe Discussion for why Ku satellites are more difficult
to track.) The quickest way to track a dish, though, is to program
all the C-band satellites first then put in the Ku satellites.
If the elevation setting is way off or if the magnetic adjustment
is way off, you might not find this first satellite. If so, while
having the dish located at the highest point of the arc (due
south), you have to turn the entire polar mount on the ground
pole until you 'hit' the satellite.- this is where using a spectrum
analyzer comes in handy. If you do not have a spectrum analyzer
(and I did not for years), then set the receiver to 'scan' mode
(you will find a button, switch, on the back of the receiver
to accomplish this) so it will rapidly scan the channels and
you will be sure not to miss an active transponder as it flashes
across your TV screen. If your first satellite is not at the
top of the arc, or near to it, continue with this procedure until
you locate the top of the arc satellite; always program all satellites
you find into the receiver, as you find them, and do not forget
to use the skew adjustment to fine tune polarity. When you find
a satellite, take the receiver off scan mode and check with a
current copy of your local satellite TV guide to confirm which
satellite you have found. Remember to adjust the polarity to
its best at each satellite and program into receiver.
(site map page top)
5B)Program azimuth-elevation satellite.If
you are using an azel mount, i.e. not a polar tracking mount,
then you will have aligned the azimuth setting to the true heading
(not the magnetic heading) of the satellite you are seeking and
in this step you will raise (lower) the elevation setting to
the elevation of the satellite you are seeking and you will be
finished with your installation except for fine tuning the two
settings.
(site map page top)
6)Fine tune north-south alignment (tracking the sides of
the arc).After you are satisfied
with the elevation and declination adjustment at the top of the
arc, it is time to program middle and end of the arc satellites.
This is where most people fail. DO NOT adjust any elevation angles
on the mount at this point! Choose the side where the satellites
are lowest on the horizon and move the dish, using the actuator,
to each consecutive satellite from the top of the arc to the
lowest one you can find. Peak the dish on the satellite, the
lowest on the arc you can locate, using the actuator. Next, push
or pull 
upwards and downwards on the dish (remember
not to stand in front of the signal so as to block incoming signal).
You don't have to use much force, just a bit to see if the signal
gets better or worse when you push/pull on the dish. What you
are actually doing is changing the elevation angle a bit. For
instance, if the dish is pointing at a satellite to the east
of center and you have to push up on the dish to get a better
signal, then the elevation angle must be adjusted higher. At
this time, you adjust this by turning the entire mount to
the east (to the west if you are in the southern hemisphere)
and not by adjusting either the elevation or declination angles!
Most errors in tuning a satellite system are due to improper
north/south alignment. To repeat, if the dish needs 
to
be pulled down (lowered) for a better signal, then turn the mount
the opposite direction (towards the higher point on the arc)
and if the dish needs to be pushed up (lifted) to get a better
signal, then rotate the entire mount away from the top of the
arc. BE SURE TO MARK, using a piece of chalk or place
a strip of masking tape on the pole and mount cap, the pole and
mount to know exactly where your original position is - rotate
the mount only SLIGHTLY (no more than 1/16inch ). Note
from the
chart, a very small movement
on the pole can translate to a very large amount in degrees of
rotation. Best method to rotate the dish is to barely loosen
the cap bolts then stand in front of the dish and grasp the lip
of the dish with both hands and gently move the dish in the desired
direction. Then retighten the cap bolts, checking that mount
cap is still plumb, and mark the new cap position on the pole.
After moving the mount, use the actuator and move the dish east/west
as necessary to peak the signal on each satellite encountered.
Observe the results on a satellite at each end of the arc and
at the top of the arc after each mount adjustment. Repeat this
procedure until the dish has the correct north/south alignment,
as you do this you should be able to locate the satellite lowest
on the arc if you could not find it at first. Always go
back to the top of the arc to make sure it is still in view and
always check the satellites on the low ends of the arc.
If you peaked the dish for center, and then for one side, and
the center is still in view then the other side should be very
close, of course, this will depend on the ground pole being vertical
and offset angle/elevation angle settings.
Remember, when you rotate the mount on the pole, each satellite
will need to be reprogrammed into the receiver as rotating around
the pole changes the location of the satellite in respect to
the memory of actuator setting (per satellite) internal to the
receiver. If, when the end of the arc satellite is in view and
the top of the arc satellite is not in view, then the elevation
angle adjustment is grossly wrong and you have to readjust the
elevation angle and repeat the procedure until you get one side
of the arc, including the top, all in view and programmed into
the receiver. If you suspect your elevation adjustment is grossly
wrong, go back to the first satellite, the one at the top of
the arc, and adjust the elevation so that the satellite remains
in view when the mount is set back to its true north-south axis
then repeat procedures of this step. Ideally, what you want in
this step is to be able to see the entire arc (even if the dish
is not hitting center on either ends or the top); what you are
looking for at this time is a compromise on the north/south setting
that allows all satellites, from end to end, to be in view. After
this compromise is reached then it is time to fine tune elevation/declination
settings. Always, as you move the dish from side to side,
stop at a couple of satellites in the middle and at the top to
monitor your adjustment effects.
(site map page top)
7)Fine tune elevation.
Once again, lift and pull the dish
on the satellites on the low ends of the arc to see which direction
produces a better picture (stronger signal). As stated in previous
step, lifting and lowering the dish has the momentary effect
of making elevation changes to the mount - if you are using a
spectrum analyzer to tune the dish
then you will be able to visibly see if the signals are weaker
or stronger as you lift and lower the dish otherwise
watch the image on the TV screen and/or the strength meter on
the receiver. If lifting the dish on both sides produces a better
signal, including the center satellite (or at least does not
affect the center) then slightly increase the elevation angle.
If lowering the dish on both sides produces a better signal,
including the center satellite (or least does not affect the
center) then slightly reduce the elevation angle. Keep track
how much you turn the bolt(s) that adjust the elevation angle
so in case you overadjust you know how much to 'back up' the
adjustment. A rule of thumb is to only move the elevation adjustment
bolts no more than a quarter of a turn per adjustment. After
each adjustment quickly check all satellites to see if they are
better or worse. You might have to go from side to side and repeat
the elevation adjustment steps before the dish tracks to your
satisfaction.
(site map page top)
8)Fine tune declination (end of the arc adjustments). If, and ONLY if, you can not
get both 
sides to peak, and both sides would be too low or
too high while the center remains the same; you can then do a
small adjustment of the declination angle to get the two sides
into peak with the top. BUT, only do this if you can confirm
that both sides are low or high while the center remains the
same. If the dish is too high on the sides (arc ends), but fine
in the center, the declination angle is too low so increase the
declination and decrease the elevation angle the same amount.
The two adjustments will cancel each other in the center of the
arc while tracking lower on the sides. Conversely, if the dish
is too low on the sides (arc ends), but fine in the center, the
declination angle is too high so decrease the declination and
increase the elevation angle the same amount. One thing to remember,
the satellite dish also receives random 
noise, earth thermal
noise, from the earth in addition to signals from space. Random
earth noise is something we can not control and is generated
by internal molecular motion of all matter; therefore, when the
dish is at its peak, it is receiving less thermal noise than
when it is positioned looking out on the horizon. Therefore,
lower end satellites will always show a weaker signal than higher
arc satellites - all things being equal. If your satellites of
interest are on the low end of the arc and those satellites are
delivering weaker signals to your system after your best efforts
at tuning the dish, then you will require a larger diameter dish
though installing the best rated LNB you can afford might overcome
this. Note, a larger diameter dish will take in more thermal
noise, of course, but the increased satellite signals it will
gather are more significant than the increased thermal noise
it will pick up. The side lobes (see
side lobe discussion) of a larger dish are smaller in comparison
to its main lobe so a larger dish receives less per cent noise
per signal as compared to a smaller dish and, as the chart indicates,
consequently shows to receive less noise than a smaller dish.
so that a larger diameter satellite dish is the clue to overcoming
weak signals from low end of the arc satellites.
(site map page top)
9)Using spectrum analyzer. You
should now have a perfectly peaked dish and you can check this
using a spectrum analyzer although I have installed many systems
to complete customer satisfaction without an analyzer. A spectrum
analyzer displays frequency vs. amplitude of all carriers, per
polarization, per satellite. If you used Ku-band satellites for
peaking, it will be as good as it can be. If you used C-band
satellites, you will want to repeat the fine tuning steps using
Ku satellites. As you go from satellite to satellite in the tuning
process, note the weakest channels on each satellite and see
what effect your adjustment process has on them. If at the end
of the adjustment 
process
and there are still weak channels then check the eirp footprints
(eirp for Eastern Hemisphere
satellites, for Western Hemisphere
satellites) for that satellite and channel (transponder) to see
if they are aimed into your region and, if possible, use a spectrum
analyzer to look at the weak channels (transponders) and see
how weak they really are in comparison with the stronger channels
on other satellites with similar eirp patterns to see if ground
effects are playing a role in reception and/or if your tuning
is that much off. Also compare weak channels to strong ones on
the same satellite to see if the weak channels might belong to
a broadcaster that is simply not uplinking a strong signal or
is uplinking a half transponder signal. All these actions will
give you peace of mind that you have done the best job possible
and will tell you if what you need is a bigger dish to receive
the weaker channels. On older satellites it is a fact that some
transponders age quicker than others and thereby are inherently
weaker. A spectrum analyzer allows more quantative understanding
of the variations in transponder reception per satellite than
does monitoring each channel with a TV. In regards to final tracking
of the dish, in general, it is said that Ku reception is three
times more sensitive to tracking errors than is C-band and tracking
Ku satellites is really where a spectrum analyzer comes in handy.
The last thing to do after satisfying yourself that your installation
is its best, apply VNR (video noise reduction) and/or bandpass
filters, as built into your receiver, to any channels which still
show a few sparkles. A satellite receiver with a good set of
internal filters (especially Chapparal brands) will increase
video quality by a 'grade', i.e. make a 'B' grade image to an
'A' grade. If you are using a frequency tunable receiver (again,
Chaparral), then try adjusting the center frequency and frequency
range of any channel that is giving you a problem especially
if you think they might be half transponder transmissions or
transmissions on non standard transponder bandwidths, i.e. a
downlink on a 54MHz transponder.
(site map page top)
SUMMARY: Find top satellite
first then satellite at lowest arc position then program satellites
in the middle between these two then program your way down to
the lowest satellite at the other end of the arc. Always adjust
north-south axis before making elevation/declination adjustments.
Always adjust elevation before making any declination adjustments.
To determine whether to make elevation or declination adjustment,
program as many satellites as possible into satellite receiver
then use this chart to analytically see which adjustment is appropriate.
(The best manner to understand these diagrams is to understand
that the satellite arc makes a half circle and that the tracking
movement of mount of dish makes another half circle and when
these two half circles are aligned then dish is properly tracked.)
If at any time a satellite signal quality can be improved by manually lifting or lowering the dish then your adjustments are not complete. A perfectly tracked C-band arc can appear to be 'all over the place' when you go to program the Ku satellites - do not be shocked. So repeat fine tuning steps on the Ku arc but stay away from further north/south adjustments in Ku fine tuning unless you are really convinced it will be beneficial or you can really get 'mucked up'!! Be sure, on Ku, that you are not chasing weak or half transponder channels and that your dish size relative to site location relative to transmitted footprint is conducive for high quality reception from the questionable weak signal, i.e. check the footprint of that transponder to see if it is being transmitted to your region.
Ku signal strength can vary greatly from transponder to transponder within a satellite - especially on hybrid C/Ku satellites. On Ku, national news feeds are usually strong throughout the coverage region; regional feeds may be on a spot beam; local news feeds may be uplinked weakly and dependent on a very large dish at the home station to bring in a quality picture; private educational classes are often half transponder transmissions and depend on a very large dish at the receive site to bring in a quality picture. For dedicated Ku satellites the energy level of the transponders is more even and your major problems will be one of spot beams - you may be under a strong regional coverage yet be marginal in a spot coverage.
If you really want to 'play' with your system further (and
your wife does not mind), position and leave 
the dish on the satellite with weak channels and experiment
with moving the focal point (the feed) in and out slightly then
with moving the setting of the F/D ratio slightly. Remember that
warped dishes (antenna symmetry), missing panels, hail damaged
panels and loose bolts in the mount (especially check the bolt
that connects the pivot axis tube to the mount cap) will deter
top performance from your system - and Ku reception is the most
sensitive to incorrect focal length and F/D settings.
When you are satisfied with your efforts, recheck that all
bolts are completely tight and definitely tighten the mount cap
to axis tube bolt. Also, make a definitive mark on the pole/mount
cap for the correct alignment just in case extremely high winds
should cause the dish to rotate slightly on the pole. In high
winds, position the dish at the top of the arc at which point
is the least resistance to wind forces; aiming the dish into
the wind will put the most strain on your installation.
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